My Old Kentucky Home (film)
Encyclopedia
My Old Kentucky Home is a short animation film originally released on 13 April 1926, by Max
and Dave Fleischer
of Fleischer Studios
as one of the Song Car-Tunes
series. This cartoon uses the original lyrics of "My Old Kentucky Home
" (1853) by Stephen Foster
, and was recorded in the Lee DeForest Phonofilm
sound-on-film
system.
My Old Kentucky Home appears to be the first attempt at animated dialogue, as a dog in the film mouths the words "Follow the ball, and join in, everybody" in remarkable synchronization though the animation was somewhat limited, making sure that lip-synch was synchronized perfectly. The Fleischers had previously started the follow the bouncing ball
gimmick in their Song Car-Tune My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean
(released 15 September 1925).
This film came two years after the Fleischers started the Song Car-Tune series in May 1924, and two years before Paul Terry
's Dinner Time
(released September 1928) and Disney
's Steamboat Willie
(November 1928).
A clip from the film is used in the opening credits of the Futurama
episode "Why Must I Be a Crustacean in Love?
".
Max Fleischer
Max Fleischer was an American animator. He was a pioneer in the development of the animated cartoon and served as the head of Fleischer Studios...
and Dave Fleischer
Dave Fleischer
David "Dave" Fleischer was an American animator film director and film producer, best known as a co-owner of Fleischer Studios with his two older brothers Max Fleischer and Lou Fleischer...
of Fleischer Studios
Fleischer Studios
Fleischer Studios, Inc., was an American corporation which originated as an Animation studio located at 1600 Broadway, New York City, New York...
as one of the Song Car-Tunes
Sound Car-Tunes
Ko-Ko Song Car-Tunes, Song Car-Tunes, or Sound Car-Tunes, is a series of short three minute animation films produced by Max Fleischer and Dave Fleischer between May 1924 and September 1927, pioneering the use of the "Follow the Bouncing Ball" device used to lead audiences in theater sing-alongs...
series. This cartoon uses the original lyrics of "My Old Kentucky Home
My Old Kentucky Home
"My Old Kentucky Home" is a minstrel song by Stephen Foster , probably composed in 1852. It was published as "My Old Kentucky Home, Good Night" in January 1853 by Firth, Pond, & Co. of New York...
" (1853) by Stephen Foster
Stephen Foster
Stephen Collins Foster , known as the "father of American music", was the pre-eminent songwriter in the United States of the 19th century...
, and was recorded in the Lee DeForest Phonofilm
Phonofilm
In 1919, Lee De Forest, inventor of the audion tube, filed his first patent on a sound-on-film process, DeForest Phonofilm, which recorded sound directly onto film as parallel lines. These parallel lines photographically recorded electrical waveforms from a microphone, which were translated back...
sound-on-film
Sound-on-film
Sound-on-film refers to a class of sound film processes where the sound accompanying picture is physically recorded onto photographic film, usually, but not always, the same strip of film carrying the picture. Sound-on-film processes can either record an analog sound track or digital sound track,...
system.
My Old Kentucky Home appears to be the first attempt at animated dialogue, as a dog in the film mouths the words "Follow the ball, and join in, everybody" in remarkable synchronization though the animation was somewhat limited, making sure that lip-synch was synchronized perfectly. The Fleischers had previously started the follow the bouncing ball
Bouncing ball
The bouncing ball is a device used in video recordings to visually indicate the rhythm of a song, helping audiences to sing along with live or prerecorded music...
gimmick in their Song Car-Tune My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean
My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean
"My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean" is a traditional Scottish folk songwhich remains popular in Western culture.-History:The origin of the song is unknown, though it is often suggested that the subject of the song may be...
(released 15 September 1925).
This film came two years after the Fleischers started the Song Car-Tune series in May 1924, and two years before Paul Terry
Paul Terry (cartoonist)
Paul Houlton Terry was an American cartoonist, screenwriter, film director and one of the most prolific film producers in history...
's Dinner Time
Dinner Time
Dinner Time is an animated short subject produced and directed by Paul Terry, co-directed by John Foster, and produced at Van Beuren Studios...
(released September 1928) and Disney
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
's Steamboat Willie
Steamboat Willie
Steamboat Willie is a 1928 American animated short film directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. It was produced in black-and-white by The Walt Disney Studio and released by Celebrity Productions. The cartoon is considered the debut of Mickey Mouse, and as his girlfriend Minnie, but the characters...
(November 1928).
A clip from the film is used in the opening credits of the Futurama
Futurama
Futurama is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
episode "Why Must I Be a Crustacean in Love?
Why Must I Be a Crustacean in Love?
"Why Must I Be a Crustacean in Love" is episode five in season two of Futurama. It originally aired in North America on February 6, 2000. The episode is a parody of the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Amok Time".-Plot:...
".